#StopGalamseyNow In Ghana: Government Deploys Over 100 Soldiers To Mining Sites

For some weeks now, the #StopGalamseyNow in Ghana has been trending worldwide and this caught the attention of several countries and also the United Nations.

The youths in Ghana embarked on a demonstration from Thursday 3rd October to Saturday 5th October 2024 over the severe surge in illegal mining activities in the country.

The country’s major River bodies have been polluted and recently the Weija dam faced a risk of being polluted to the ‘Milo tea’ colour. The #StopGalamseyNow in Ghana has caught the attention of the Ghanaian government and measures has been set in place to tackle the issue at hand.

The Ghanaian government has deployed over 100 militarily armed personnel to various water bodies in the nation to stop all ongoing illegal mining activities (Galamsey). This action comes right after the organized Labour called off their scheduled stoke which was to begin today after the government assured them of their efforts to stop these minings.

This action comes also after over 50 private and state civil society organizations urged the government to address this environmental problem caused by Galamsey. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Defence to deploy military personnel’s to strengthen the operation to stop these illegal mining activities.

Specific locations for the operation have not been disclosed officially, but according to sources, the Eastern Region will be the initial point for the operation. According to statistics, the Eastern Region has been the most affected area by this illegal mining.

Naval boats will be used by the deployed military personnel on polluted water bodies to stop all mining activities. This step is aimed to protect the water resources in the nation and also further major toxic pollution like mercury and cyanide.

This comes after the government met with the leaders of the Organized Labour and assured them of measures that will be put in place. In an official statement released by the Ministry of Information, it said, “Government in its continued efforts to clamp down on the long-standing menace of illegal small-scale mining, has concluded operational measures to intensify the ongoing “Operation Halt” which is led by the Ghana Armed Forces, to rid out river bodies of all forms of mining activities”. 

Also, the government made it known that, the river bodies and forest reserves remain red zones.

READ ALSO: Ghana’s Fight Against Galamsey: Labour Unions’ Nationwide Strike